The smell of fall in the air means one thing to Mark Hawthorn. It’s pulling time! Hawthorn, of Monticello, founded the Green County Fall Nationals Truck and Tractor Pull to combine his passion of tractor pulling with an opportunity to give back to Green County residents who suffered financial hardship through illness or tragedy. He is amazed that what was originally planned as a one-time event in conjunction with Farm Progress Days in 2006 would still be going strong 16 years later.

Each year nearly 5,000 people attend GCFN, where approximately 120 trucks and tractors from across the c...